Posted: Friday, 20 November 2009 5:38AM
Local Activist Disputing County Funded Survey
Tracy Ellis Reporting
WHATCOM COUNTY,Wash. -- A local activist and two experts have problems with a Whatcom County funded survey on land use, but the firm that conducted the work stands by it.
Former Bellingham mayoral candidate Brett Bonner asked the experts to look at the poll of local citizens done by the Whatcom Legacy Project.
The results of the Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall survey indicate that an overwhelming majority of residents were very concerned about protecting farmland, forestland and parks.
Patrick Lanne of Public Opinion Strategies in New York wrote in a letter to Bonner that, in his opinion, the poll was conducted to get a certain result and there was very little introduction of relevant or strong opposing views.
Dr. John Krieg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Western Washington University. He wrote that his concerns would lead him to completely discount the results of the survey.
He said this type of survey should not inform public policy.
In response, the firm conducting the survey said it was not designed to get a certain result or ensure a conservationist view.
They say residents were given opportunities to share their opinions in their own words, and those responses were consistent with the close ended questions asked.
The firm describes itself as non-partisan and independent, and says it does not work for political candidates or parties. They’ve been conducting survey and focus group research for over three decades.
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